asleep

Treatment Recommendations for People Who Act Out Their Dreams While Asleep

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Summary: REM sleep behavior disorder, or parasomnia, affects more than 80 million people worldwide. The disorder causes sufferers to experience nightmare-like violent dreams. Sufferers act on their dreams while sleeping, often resulting in violent or dangerous sleep behaviors and injuries. Researchers propose new guidelines, including medical and pharmacological recommendations, to help curb symptoms of parasomnia and promote healthier sleep.

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine

A new clinical practice guideline developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides recommendations for the management of REM sleep behavior disorder in adults.  

The guideline, available online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, updates the AASM’s previous guidance published in 2010. Several clinical trials conducted in the last decade have contributed new evidence to the published literature, providing additional support for the recommendations.  

“REM sleep behavior disorder is common, affecting more than 80 million people worldwide,” said lead author Dr. Michael Howell, chair of the AASM task force and a professor and division head of sleep medicine in the department of neurology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

“This clinical practice guideline provides clinicians with insight on how best to prevent sleep-related injury and how to provide patients with a risk assessment for neurological disease. The task force assembled by the AASM diligently reviewed thousands of clinical studies to provide an up-to-date guideline for clinicians managing REM sleep behavior disorder.” 

REM sleep behavior disorder is classified as a parasomnia, a group of sleep disorders involving undesirable physical events or experiences that happen while falling asleep, sleeping, or waking from sleep. REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements and dream activity, and it normally involves skeletal paralysis.

This paralysis — or muscle atonia — is lost in REM sleep behavior disorder, causing individuals to act out their dreams with potentially injurious behaviors. These dreams tend to be unpleasant, action-filled, or violent, with the dreamer being confronted, attacked, or chased by unfamiliar people or animals.

The symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder are often ignored for years, usually until an injury occurs to the dreamer or the bed partner. REM sleep behavior disorder often occurs due to an underlying neurological disorder, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, narcolepsy, or stroke. 

The guideline provides recommendations for specific medications, such as clonazepam and immediate-release melatonin, that clinicians should consider when treating REM sleep behavior disorder in adults.

All of the recommendations are conditional, requiring the clinician to use clinical knowledge and experience, and to strongly consider the patient’s values and preferences, to determine the best course of action.

Treatment options also depend on whether the case of REM sleep behavior disorder is isolated, secondary to another medical condition, or drug induced.  

This Is What Your Body Is Busy Doing While You’re Asleep

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Everything that’s happening in a handy chart.

In our increasingly busy lives, sleep can feel pretty unproductive. But just because you’re not awake, doesn’t mean stuff isn’t happening.

To make you really appreciate all the complex things your body during those eight (or, more realistically, six) hours you’re out each night, artist Jan Diehm from the Huffington Post has created this fascinating infographic.

You can see a much larger version of the image here, which breaks down each sleep stage by what happens during it and how much of your night it takes up on average.

2014 Sleep 0

And while it makes me appreciate my body and all of its involuntary behaviours, it also makes tired just by looking at it. Is 8:36 am too early for a power nap?

Laura Schocker over at Huffington Post has also given us a run-down of the different sleep stages in more detail. So what’s going on?

Stage One is that time between wake and slumber when it’s super easy for someone (or something) to wake you up. If you do wake up during stage on, you’re going to feel like you haven’t slept at all.

Stage Two is what Philip Gehrman, a psychiatry assistant professor from the University of Pennsylvania in the US, tells Schocker is the “average sleep”, where we spend half of our night. As Schocker explains, during this stage:

“Brain waves are slow (with some rapid bursts) and your heart rate and blood pressure slow down and regulate. That means, for much of the night, your heart and vascular system are getting a much-needed rest, which might help to explain the many cardiovascular benefits of shuteye.”

Stage Three is our deepest sleep, and it’s when our brain waves transform into restorative, slow, high-amplitude waves. Pretty much most of our bodily functions slow down during this time and our bodies begin to repair. It’s also the phase when people will sleep walk, talk, or eat, if they’re so inclined.

REM sleep is where we experience vivid dreams. According to Gehrman, experts often call this the “paradoxical sleep” because the body is out for the count while the brain lights up like you’re awake. And, yes, during this time you also experience rapid eye movement (which gives the stage its name). Your muscles are paralysed so you don’t physically live out your dreams, and your breathing and heart rate can vary greatly.

Researchers also know that at some point during sleep, although they’re not sure exactly when just yet, our bodies regulate the hormones that control how hungry we are, and our brains also lock in memories and learn the information we absorbed the day before.

So, while it’s not always possible to get the seven to 10 hours of sleep a night recommended by some experts, at least you can now appreciate what happens when you do.

Source: The Huffington Post

7 Ways To Fall Back Asleep In 10 Minutes Or Less

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Try these simple tricks to get back to sleep fast
You wake up in the middle of the night, relieved it’s only 3 a.m. and that you still have a few hours of solid shut-eye before you have to get up. Only, you can’t fall back to sleep. So what’s your solution? Here are seven strategies you can use to drift back into dreamland—fast.

1. Turn on as few lights as possible.
Don’t flick every switch on your way to the bathroom. “Light is stimulating because our brains and bodies interpret any light—whether it comes from the sun or a lamp—as a signal to be alert,” says W. Christopher Winter, MD, director of the Martha Jefferson Sleep Medicine Center. So you should do your best to avoid it by only turning on the lights you absolutely need. Finding your way in the dark is best, but using a small lamp for just a few minutes won’t set you back much. “The brighter the light and the longer you’re exposed to it, the more alerting it will be,” Winter says.

2. Read to make your eyes tired.
Remember fighting to stay awake during reading assignments in school? Take a cue from college: If you’re struggling to fall back asleep, thumb through a nearby book or magazine, suggests Winter. But try to avoid an exciting thriller that gets your heart racing—it will stimulate instead of sedate you. Again, make sure to keep your light exposure to a minimum. Winter recommends attaching a small reading light to your book.

3. Use your brain.
If you want to occupy yourself instead of just tossing and turning, forego using your phone, tablet, TV, or computer. “Electronic devices emit light that can keep you up—especially the ones you hold closer to your face, like a mobile device,” says Winter. Instead, perform a mental exercise: For example, cyclists could imagine prepping a bike for a ride, step by step.

4. Stay on your back.
Or your side or stomach—whichever position you prefer. Just don’t keep fumbling around. If you stand or sit up straight for long periods of time, your body is more likely to interpret that as a reason to stay awake, suggests Winter. If you’re going to keep busy while you’re up, make sure you’re lying down.

5. Don’t eat anything.
You might think having a bite to eat could put you back to sleep, but midnight munching actually hurts your chances of dozing off again, Winter says. In fact, a mid-slumber snack could trigger more sleep interruptions in the future. “You can easily start to condition your brain and body to expect food at that time of night, which can reinforce the habit of waking up,” says Winter. If you absolutely need to nosh, go ahead, but try to channel your strongest sense of willpower to resist your stomach rumbles. It will help to keep from establishing a standing date with your refrigerator.

MORE: How Much Sodium Should You Consume?

6. Try progressive relaxation.
It’s a technique developed by physicians to reduce muscle tension by focusing on releasing one specific muscle group at a time. “Relaxing your body can also relax your mind,” says Winter. Holding tension in your muscles signals to your brain that it needs to remain alert. Consciously reducing stress in your muscles, on the other hand, signals that it’s time to fall asleep. Taking long, deep breaths, begin with your largest muscles groups—like your thighs and back—and slowly work your way to smaller muscles in your hands and face.

7. Don’t make up the sleep you missed.
If you’re extra tired after falling short on rest, it’s important not to sleep in or take a nap the next day. “You essentially want to penalize your brain to avoid this happening regularly,” says Winter. If you indulge yourself in a few extra hits of the snooze button or a long mid-afternoon siesta, you’re just creating a template for your brain and body to stay awake in the middle of the night.

This is what your body is busy doing while you’re asleep

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This infographic breaks down everything your body does while you’re not awake. It’s making us tired just looking at it.

2014 Sleep 0

 

 

 

 

 

In our increasingly busy lives, sleep can feel pretty unproductive. But just because you’re not awake, doesn’t mean stuff isn’t happening. To make you really appreciate all the complex things your body during those eight (or, more realistically, six) hours you’re out each night, artist Jan Diehm from the Huffington Post has created this fascinating infographic.

You can see a much larger version of the image here, which breaks down each sleep stage by what happens during it and how much of your night it takes up on average.

And while it makes me appreciate my body and all of its involuntary behaviours, it also makes tired just by looking at it. Is 8:36 am too early for a power nap?

Laura Schocker over at Huffington Post has also given us a run-down of the different sleep stages in more detail. So what’s going on?

Stage one is that time between wake and slumber when it’s super easy for someone (or something) to wake you up. If you do wake up during stage on, you’re going to feel like you haven’t slept at all.

Stage two is what Philip Gehrman, a psychiatry assistant professor from the University of Pennsylvania in the US, tells Schocker is the “average sleep”, where we spend half of our night. As Schocker explains, during this stage:

“Brain waves are slow (with some rapid bursts) and your heart rate and blood pressure slow down and regulate. That means, for much of the night, your heart and vascular system are getting a much-needed rest, which might help to explain the many cardiovascular benefits of shuteye.”

Stage three is our deepest sleep, and it’s when our brain waves transform into restorative, slow, high-amplitude waves. Pretty much most of our bodily functions slow down during this time and our bodies begin to repair. It’s also the phase when people will sleep walk, talk, or eat, if they’re so inclined.

REM sleep is where we experience vivid dreams. According to Gehrman, experts often call this the “paradoxical sleep” because the body is out for the count while the brain lights up like you’re awake. And, yes, during this time you also experience rapid eye movement (which gives the stage its name). Your muscles are paralysed so you don’t physically live out your dreams, and your breathing and heart rate can vary greatly.

Researchers also know that at some point during sleep, although they’re not sure exactly when just yet, our bodies regulate the hormones that control how hungry we are, and our brains also lock in memories and learn the information we absorbed the day before.

So, while it’s not always possible to get the seven to 10 hours of sleep a nightrecommended by experts, at least you can now appreciate what happens when you do.

Watch the video. URL: https://youtu.be/SVQlcxiQlzI